Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia

Angkor Ta Prohm Temple
Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia is also known as the Jungle Temple, located in the Angkor Thom complex and is one of the most beautiful temples I have visited in my life.

Why so? Well, besides this temple being used for the first Tomb Raider Movie starring the beautiful Angelina Jolie, the way the trees grow here is absolutely astounding. Words cannot describe it until you set foot there and see it for yourself.

Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia

Picture of Ta Prohm Temple
Truly one of the most beautiful temples in Cambodia.
Ta Prohm was originally called Rajavihara and was built around the late 12th century (1186 AD) in Angkor by King Jayavarman VII. It was built to be a Mahayana Buddhist monastery.

Apparently, the place was left as is over the hundreds of years, and the outcome is amazing from what you see now in the place, which is also called Angkor Archaeological Park.

Photography at Ta Prohm Temple
A huge silk cotton tree grows over the temple walls.
Walking around Ta, Prohm would take you about 15 to 30 minutes. Most of the structures have fallen or taken over by huge trees growing over them.

There are also many photo moments here, and getting them in the sun is the best, so I recommend going there early in the morning.

Trees growing on Ta Prohm Temple
Silk cotton trees growing over the temple.
One of the popular sites here at Ta Prohm is the "Tomb Raider tree" in the central sanctuary, where Angelina Jolie picked a jasmine flower and was sucked beneath the earth.

How cool is that to be where she once stood. Even you could re-make that same pose Angelina did here.


Fallen Section Ta Prohm Temple
The fallen section at Ta Prohm Temple.
To avoid the crowds, I would recommend you buy the 3-day pass to Angkor Wat and take your time to visit the temples.

Mornings should be the best time to do this as it can get really crowded in the afternoons and especially on weekends.

By the way, most Asians love the 3 Night / 4 Days holiday, and this will only make your trip a rush.

Ta Prohm Temple Stone Carvings
Beautiful stone carvings on some of the blocks.
I would recommend a minimum of 4 nights/5 days trip to Siem Reap if you plan to visit Angkor Wat. No point in spending all that money and rush your holiday.

The best option to see Siem Reap and Angkor Wat would be 5 nights/6 days. Trust me, it pays off, and you will not be tired when you take your time.

Entrance to Ta Prohm TempleTa Prohm Temple entrance.

At the end of my Ta Prohm Temple visit, I found this temple to be one of the best natural temples I have been to.

As mentioned in my other Cambodian Temple blogs, if you have a chance to visit these temples and have little time, choose Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm Temple.

You can easily visit these 3 temples in one day. Sunrise at Angkor, late morning at Bayon and Ta Prohm for the afternoon finishing with Angkor again for the sunset.

Getting here is on the same route as Angkor Wat. Once you reach inside the Angkor Thom complex, all these temples are one by one along the roads.

You need an Angkor Wat pass to visit the complex, and they are available at the main entrance to the grounds.

Photo of Ta Prohm Temple
One of the beautiful archways at the temple grounds.
General Tip: If you get local children following you around asking you to let them guide you, just politely tell them you are not interested.

If you need someone to take a picture for you, just ask some of the tourists to help you. Asking the locals there would cost you as they would expect some money.

Archaeological Park Fees: US$20 for one day, US$40 for three days, US$60 for one week.

You can also read about my visit to the mighty Angkor Wat Temple and also the beautiful and unique Bayon Temple when I was there.

Conclusion

Among the many temples found here, I personally think that if you want to visit all of the temples, you would need at least a week to achieve this.

Finally, among all the temples I visited in Angkor Thom, I would easily say that only one captivated me fully, and it was Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia.

Malaysia Asia

Blogging since 2007, but writing online since 1997. I belong to the 1st generation of worldwide bloggers, which is of course old-school. Since 2008, I created Malaysia Asia and this travel, flood, gadget and lifestyle blog has won numerous physical awards from tourism boards around Malaysia. (Not those online awards). After 12 years of blogging, I have semi-retired and now blog about things I like, do product reviews and enjoy life. My work has been featured in Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, Yahoo Travel, Wall Street Journal, and many other international publications. Find out more about me and thank you.

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